From DE 10 2011 118 622 A1 a generic axial piston machine with a rotor that is rotatably mounted in a housing with a shaft is known, wherein cylinders which are arranged annularly about and parallel to the rotor are provided, in which pistons are arranged so as to be translationally adjustable by means of a working medium, for example steam. Here, each cylinder is assigned an inlet opening in a cylinder head and an outlet opening in the housing. In order to be able to increase the efficiency of the axial piston machine, a so-called auxiliary outlet rotary slide valve is provided, which when the piston is run up from the bottom dead centre position to the top dead centre position makes possible a venting of the cylinder and because of this prevents a compressing of the working medium that is still present in the cylinder because of the inlet opening that is closed at that point in time, accompanied by the concomitant counter-work. To this end, the auxiliary outlet rotary slide valve has a drain opening arranged on the circumference, wherein the auxiliary outlet rotary slide valve is obviously orientated in the axial piston in such a manner that the drain opening of the auxiliary outlet rotary slide valve always assumes congruence with a corresponding drain opening of an associated cylinder, when this cylinder is to be vented.
Usually, such an auxiliary outlet rotary slide valve is solidly embodied from steel, as a result of which the same is not only comparatively heavy but additionally also expensive. In addition the problems result that the auxiliary outlet rotary slide valve frequently rubs against the housing or even seizes up because of tolerance problems, which in the most unfavourable case can lead to the axial piston machine being damaged.